Abstract: A user can provide input to a computing device through various combinations of speech, movement, and/or gestures. A computing device can analyze captured audio data and analyze that data to determine any speech information in the audio data. The computing device can simultaneously capture image or video information which can be used to assist in analyzing the audio information. For example, image information is utilized by the device to determine when someone is speaking, and the movement of the person's lips can be analyzed to assist in determining the words that were spoken. Any gestures or other motions can assist in the determination as well. By combining various types of data to determine user input, the accuracy of a process such as speech recognition can be improved, and the need for lengthy application training processes can be avoided.

Abstract: Launch vehicle systems and methods for landing and recovering a booster stage and/or other portions thereof on a platform at sea or on another body of water are disclosed. In one embodiment, a reusable space launch vehicle is launched from a coastal launch site in a trajectory over water. After booster engine cutoff and upper stage separation, the booster stage reenters the earth's atmosphere in a tail-first orientation. The booster engines are then restarted and the booster stage performs a vertical powered landing on the deck of a pre-positioned sea-going platform. In one embodiment, bidirectional aerodynamic control surfaces control the trajectory of the booster stage as it glides through the earth's atmosphere toward the sea-going platform. The sea-going platform can broadcast its real-time position to the booster stage so that the booster stage can compensate for errors in the position of the sea-going platform due to current drift and/or other factors.

Abstract: Display space on web page may be allocated by bids. In one embodiment, the display space system receives bids indicating a bid amount and an advertisement. When providing a web page with the display space, the display space system selects a bid. The display space system adds the advertisement of the selected bid to the web page. The bid may specify web pages on which the advertisement may be placed, the users to whom the advertisement may be presented, and time when the advertisement may be placed. The bid amount may be in an established currency or in advertising points. Activities for which advertising points may be awarded may include listing an auction, auction bidding, or purchasing of an item. When a user advertisement is placed, the display space system reduces user advertising points. The display space system may also place bids for display space on behalf of the user.

Abstract: A network-based payment service and site provides various features for facilitating payments. One such feature enables users of the payment service to create pay boxes, or other types of payment objects, that can be incorporated into externally hosted web pages and used to make payments. In some embodiments, the payment objects enable users to make payments directly from the externally hosted web pages.

Abstract: A method and system for customer incentive-based management of computing resource utilization. According to one embodiment, a method may include provisioning a computing resource according to a given level of resource utilization, and dynamically predicting utilization of the computing resource that is expected to occur during a given interval of time. In response to dynamically predicting that utilization of the computing resource will be less than the given level of resource utilization during the given interval of time, the method may further include offering an incentive to a customer to utilize the computing resource during at least a portion of the given interval of time.

Abstract: Computer system and method for providing community-based shipping of items may provide mechanisms that allow customers of an network service to participate in a community shipping program that provides customers that are members in a community with free and/or reduced-rate shipping for at least some items ordered via the network service for delivery to a target location (e.g., receiving/distribution site) for the community. The Web site may provide user interface elements that may provide one or more shipping and possibly other options to customers that participate in a community shipping program. Community shipping programs may include commercial shipping programs and locality shipping programs. In a commercial shipping program, a primary subscriber purchases a subscription to a commercial shipping program and shares the subscription with one or more occupants of the commercial property. A locality shipping program may be provided to members of a particular geographic region or locality.

Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating interactions between computing systems, such as by performing transactions between parties that are automatically authorized via a third-party transaction authorization system. In some situations, the transactions are programmatic transactions involving the use of fee-based Web services by executing application programs, with the transaction authorization system authorizing and/or providing payments in accordance with private authorization instructions previously specified by the parties. The authorization instructions may include predefined instruction rule sets that regulate conditions under which a potential transaction can be authorized, with the instruction rule sets each referenced by an associated reference token.

Abstract: An Internet-based customer referral system enables individuals and other business entities (“associates”) to market products sold on a merchant web site in return for commissions. Following registration, the associate sets up a web site (or other information dissemination system) to distribute hypertextual catalog documents that include marketing information (product reviews, recommendations, etc.) about selected products of the merchant. In association with each such product, the catalog document includes a hypertextual “referral link” that allows a user/customer to access the merchant web site and purchase the product. When a customer selects a referral link, the customer's computer transmits unique IDs of the selected product and of the associate to the merchant's site, allowing the merchant to identify the product and the referring associate. If the customer subsequently purchases a product from the merchant's site, a commission is automatically credited to an account of the referring associate.

Abstract: An interactive system enables users to generate and submit lists of items (e.g., products) for viewing by other users. The user-generated lists are selectively suggested to users of the system based on their respective behaviors, such as their item viewing activities, searches, and/or item purchases. The system may monitor the behaviors of users who access particular user-generated lists, and based on the monitored behaviors, generate measures of the effectiveness of particular lists (e.g., effectiveness at driving item purchases). The measures of effectiveness may be considered in selecting particular lists to suggest.

Abstract: An electronic device can utilize image capture technology to detect the presence and location of another device. Using this information, the electronic device can display, in a user interface, a graphical element representing a detected device, along with identity information and the location of the detected device relative to the electronic device. The location of each detected device relative to the electronic device can be tracked and thus the graphical element can be updated in the user interface.

Abstract: A visible-light based display system may be used to project visual guidance to picking and/or stowing agents in a materials handling facility dependent on their current location. The system may comprise a plurality of fixed-location display devices and/or mobile display devices coupled to a control system. The control system may send messages to particular ones of the display devices for projection of visual guidance usable to direct an agent to a particular inventory area in which an item is to be stowed or from which an item is to be picked, to identify a particular position within an inventory area, and/or to identify a particular item stored within an inventory area. The messages may include location, position, and/or descriptive information associated with an item to be stowed or picked. The projected visual guidance may include light or laser beams, text, graphics and/or images, and may be agent-specific, item-specific, and/or order-specific.

Abstract: An order is placed by a purchaser in which a server system receives an identification of the purchaser, payment information, and shipment information from a client system. The server system assigns a client identifier to the client system and associates the identifier with the purchaser information. The server system sends to the client system the identifier and a document identifying an item to be purchased and including an order button. The client system receives and stores the identifier and receives and displays the document. In response to the selection of the order button, the client system sends to the server system a request to purchase the identified item. The server system receives the request and combines the purchaser information associated with the client identifier to generate an order to purchase the item in accordance with the billing and shipment information.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium is described for facilitating interactions between task requesters who have tasks that are available to be performed and task performers who are available to perform tasks. In some situations, the tasks to be performed are human performance tasks that use cognitive and other mental skills of human task performers, such as to employ judgment, perception and/or reasoning skills of the human task performers. In addition, in some situations the available tasks are submitted by human task requesters via application programs that programmatically invoke one or more application program interfaces of an electronic marketplace in order to request that the tasks be performed and to receive corresponding results of task performance in a programmatic manner, so that an ensemble of unrelated human agents can interact with the electronic marketplace to collectively perform a wide variety and large number of tasks.

Abstract: A remote display system including a portable display that wirelessly receives data and power from a primary station. The primary station, which is remote from and without a tangible connection with the portable display, includes a data transmitting element and a power transmitting element. The portable display includes a power receiving element that receives power wirelessly from the power transmitting element and a data receiving element operable to receive data from the data transmitting element.

Abstract: Content can be shared between devices by transmitting an encoded signal that indicates, to each capable device within range, instructions for accessing the content. For example, a first device can emit an encoded audio signal that can be received by any capable device within audio range of the device. Any device receiving the signal can decode the information included in the signal and obtain a location to access the content from that information. Using such an approach, a first user can quickly and easily share content with several users at the same time without any of the receiving users having to determine or navigate to the content being shared. Further, using signals, such as audio signals, provides the ability for most existing devices to easily share content without significant hardware modification or additional expense.

Abstract: Computer systems and associated payment models are disclosed for compensating content providers, such as web site operators, that cooperatively provide user access to content. In one embodiment, when a user selects a link provided by an “originator” entity (e.g., on a web site of the originator entity) to access a “target” entity's content (e.g., content displayed on the target entity's web site), the user is charged a small transaction fee, such as 0.1 cents. A portion of this fee is paid to the originator, and a portion is paid to the target. An additional portion may be retained by a service provider that processes the link selection transaction. Embodiments are also disclosed involving different flows of monetary compensation between the user, the originator, the target, and the service provider.

Abstract: Systems, methods and interfaces for the selective management of information collected by a browser are provided. The browser obtains a network resource, such as a Web page, from a content provider, and collects information associated with the display and interaction with the content by a user. The browser presents, among other controls, a graphical icon that is representative of an integrated command to remove information collected while accessing a first network resource and to cause the browser application to access a second accessed network resource. Upon receipt of an input corresponding to the selection of the graphical icon, the browser deletes information collected while accessing the first network resource and accesses the second network resource.

Abstract: A personal computing device user may see an item of interest. The user captures data (e.g., a digital image, an audio recording, etc.) of the item of interest (e.g., anything user can see, hear or touch) and submits the captured data to a the memory enhancement service. The memory enhancement service submits the captured data to a human interaction task system for enhancement. The human interaction task system distributes the captured data to one or more human workers to identify the subject of the captured data, determine the user's interest in the item subject of the captured data, and provide information regarding the item that may be relevant to the user based on the determined interest. The enhanced data returned from the human interaction task system is stored by the memory enhancement service for subsequent recall by the user and possible use by the user or others.

Abstract: Image information displayed on an electronic device can be modified based at least in part upon a relative position of a user with respect to a device. Mapping, topological or other types of positional data can be used to render image content from a perspective that is consistent with a viewing angle for the current relative position of the user. As that viewing angle changes, as a result of movement of the user and/or the device, the content can be re-rendered or otherwise updated to display the image content from a perspective that reflects the change in viewing angle. Simulations of effects such as parallax and occlusions can be used with the change in perspective to provide a consistent user experience that provides a sense of three-dimensional content even when that content is rendered on a two-dimensional display. Lighting, shading and/or other effects can be used to enhance the experience.

Abstract: A message originator may generate messaging data for selective communication by a messaging provider via an interface generated by a browser software application. The user may also interact with various content providers such that event data is generated based on the user interaction with each content provider. The messaging provider can then obtain the messaging data and the event data to determine a target set of messages to be published. Additionally, the messaging provider can select a set of message recipients to receive, or otherwise access, the target set of messages based on filtering criteria submitted by the message originator, content provider, service provider, and/or message recipients. Credit may be allocated based on activity associated with the communicated messages. The messaging provider may also facilitate additional interaction between the message originator and the message recipients including the initiation of additional communication channels.